Wedgemount Lake – Whistler, BC

With BC Provincial parks finally starting to re-open (fingers crossed National Parks will soon follow) I’ve started to plan some exciting hiking trips for the summer. Meanwhile, scrolling through all of these hiking sites has me reminiscing about my favourite overnight hike from last summer: Wedgemount Lake! This hike is tough but extremely rewarding.

The trailhead is just north of Whistler, BC within Garibaldi Provincial Park. Round trip it is only about 12km (according to vancouvertrails.com) however with 1200m of elevation gain it certainly feels a lot longer. While many hikers choose to do the trip in a day, we decided to stay overnight. Although heavy packs didn’t make the climb very easy, I am so glad that we did this as it allowed us ample time to explore some of the glaciers beyond Wedgemount lake.

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The hike starts off fairly easy, as you weave through the forest slowly gaining elevation. After about 20-30 minutes the terrain switches and the trail becomes a series of steep switchbacks until you reach a large opening at the base of an old rockslide. From here you are about halfway to the lake, however the toughest part lays ahead. The trail dips back into a muddy forested area and you begin another steep climb uphill. Make sure to look around and take in your scenery, as there are a handful of spots along the way where you can catch a glimpse of Wedgemount Waterfall from beyond the trees.

After hiking for what may seem like forever (but is realistically only about 1 1/2-2 hours) you will reach the final steep scramble to the top (left photo). Once you come up over the final ridge the trail levels out and you are able to see Wedgemount Glacier in the distance. From here it’s a quick walk and you will emerge above Wedgemount lake. Overlooking the lake is an emergency hut and a handful of wooden tent pads for overnight hikers. From here you can continue down the trail towards the base of the lake. We decided to set up our camp on one of the gravel pads along the lake shore.

After pitching our tent and setting up our sleeping arrangements we spent the rest of the day relaxing by the lake and playing cards. We were very fortunate because not long after we set up our camp the skies cleared up and we were able to really enjoy our surroundings. Despite the fact is was the middle of August when we did this hike, it still gets quite cold as the sun goes down (keep in mind you’re about 2000 meters above sea level) so definitely make sure to pack plenty layers. As far as Wedgemount lake is concerned, it’s a glacier lake meaning it is absolutely freezing but some of campers next to us decided to go for a dip anyways. I personally couldn’t bring myself to do it, but if you’re brave enough pack a towel!

One of my highlights from this hike was watching the sunset that evening. After we finished dinner we decided to take a walk back to the edge of the trail where it comes up over the rocky scramble. From here you are facing West and can look out over the trail you just climbed as well as the mountains which lay in the distance. There are a bunch of tall rocks you can climb which will give you an even better birds eye view of the valley below and from here we were able to watch the sun slowly set behind the mountains. To say it was breathtaking seems like an understatement. I am always at a loss for words when watching the sun rise and set in the mountains.

The next morning before starting our trek home we decided to explore north of the lake. Above Wedgemount Lake are a handful of glaciers and mountains which sparked our curiosity. Part of the reason I am glad we chose to turn this into an overnight hike is I don’t think I would have had the energy to climb any higher if we had done everything in one day. I highly recommend planning ahead if you wish to ascend one of the mountains north of Wedgemount Lake, as the routes up are not marked and there is no cellular service/GPS. Luckily we had read up on a few different summits before hand and decided to attempt Mount Weart.

Part of what made ascending Mount Weart so difficult for us was that routes change shape throughout the summer as the glaciers melt. There are a handful of approaches you can take once you get to Wedgemount Glacier: North East Arete Route, Half Arete Route, or West Ridge Route. Due to it being the end of summer, the glacier was quite small compared to its full size and was actually split into two sides (I think), making it difficult for us to navigate, being first timers. We ended up getting fairly close to what we believed to be the long ridge leading to Mount Weart before deciding it was best to turn around (and by we decided, I mean I really wanted to turn around and my partner reluctantly obliged).

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The descent back down to our car took much less time than our trek up the previous day (go figure). We packed up our tent around 3pm and we were back down to our car around 5pm or so.

Though we did not make it to the summit of any mountains this trip, we will definitely be back to try again. Wedgemount Lake was a challenging but stunning hike which I would do again in a heartbeat.

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